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Senior Noah Love, junior Sierra Dilworth, and sophomore Bohdi Hollman took first in their events at the state speech and debate tournament bringing Flathea

d in third place overall on Sat. January, 27. Love managed the first in extemporaneous speaking, Dilworth in Lincoln Douglas debate, and Hollman in informative speaking. Following the first place takers, there were many who placed top four making them all-state placers. Seniors Grace Cady with 4th ­­_place in extemporaneous and Tristan Phillips with 2nd in informative. Juniors Reed Miller w

ith 3rd in impromptu, Tanis Hadwin with 2nd in memorized public address, Korbyn Howe with 3rd in dramatic interpretation, and Annabelle Pukas with 2nd in legislative debate. Lastly freshman

Carson Robison with 3rd in oratory. Hollman in his second year of speech blew the competition out of the waters with his awesome speech about the USS Indianapolis. The USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. He said him and the coaches made a few alterations to get ready for state, mentioning “we decided to make it sound more newscaster like, like CNN, but keep the emphasis and inflections but just be more clear and confident.” His speech took a slight turn on the story of the USS than most are used to and know about. Saying that one of his coaches told him to read the book Left for Dead, it's a story about a boy at age 11 doing a history fair project about the ship. Later informing people of the severity of the situation and how uninformed people are about it. “It's a major part of my speech because kids are impactful and the story is too” Hollman finished saying. Dilworth in her third year of debateclosed out the competition with friend and competitor Pucas beside her. The two went hand in hand in the final debate. Stating that they were arguing the resolution that “plea bargaining ought to be abolished in the United State criminal justice system”. She won the coin flip giving her the option to debate against or f

or the resolution. Picking the negative side, Dilworth saying “I believe in the affirmation but there is more evidence for the negative side.” Asking what put her aside from other competitors, she said “I have a lot of passion. I am a Christian and so I do all I do in honor of God and so when I'm debating I do that to glorify him.”

Love in his first year of extemp really surprised everyone taking on the new event after three years of legislative debate and being 7th in the nation last year. He said he switched because “I was excited to learn more. In debate i'll get 1 to 2 topics a month where in extemp I get hundreds… Extemp is fun and exciting and I now have 50 world leaders memorized.” The topic he Love gave his final speech on was “how will sanctions affect the Nicolas Maduro regime in Venezuela.” He said it was “sentimental, finals was a nationally related topic so that's really exciting and easier to talk about for me.” Overall the competition was cut close and there were a lot of ups and downs for Flathead. Bozeman High took 1st at state with a total of 180 points, Glacier High in 2nd with 151 points, and Flathead in 3rd with 121 points. Head coach Shannon O’Donnell ends the official season saying, “This team worked to improve and grow competitors, ending the season with 20 s

tate finalists, 3 individual champions, and 11 all-state designations. Im proud of that hard work and progress that was achieved.”

Women’s march takes Depot Park

ANNA HEDINGER

of The Flathead Arrow

Kalispell men, women, and children gathered in a sea of pink hats on Saturday, Jan 20 at Depot Park to rally for women’s rights. The event unfolded on the same day as nationwide protests, on the eve of the anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. Instead of joining the some 10,000 marchers in Helena, local Montanans decided to bring protests to home turf. According to CBS, “Many not only supported women's rights, but also denounced Mr. Trump's views on issues including immigration, abortion and LGBT rights.” A

round three million people participated in marches nationwide, and included international support. Kedryn McElderry, a senior at Glacier High School, was among the speakers. Leader of Glacier’s Gay Straight Alliance, (GSA) McElderry took to the podiu

m in part to advocate for marginalized women and LGBTQ+ members, and to protest the Trump Administration’s response to these issues. The Me Too movement added to the turn-out. The movement addresses the treatment of women in the workplace. Janet Brown, a speaker at the event said, “we have clearly seen the rumbles of misogyny and racism and intolerance throughout the whole election process. And we saw shadows of fascism, theocracy, corruption, cronyism, and we heard people spouting authoritarian slogans. I was appalled.” Protesters of all ages and genders gathered in high spirits, with many sporting signs and coffee thermoses. Brown continued her speech, followed by a roar of approval from the crowd. “We have watched rooms full of smiling white men chock women’s reproductive health services literally around the world.” It reflected sentiments plastered on many protesters’ signs.

Deadly Accidents on SlopesANNA HEDINGER of The Flathead Arrow

A tree-well fatality at Big Mountain and a cliff-jumping incident near Blacktail made for a tragic day on Dec. 30. A popular recreation turned deadly with heavy snowfall over the winter holiday. The victims were two young men in their twenties, discovered in two separate but fatal snowboarding accidents. According to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the first death occurred near Blacktail Road in Lakeside Saturday afternoon, some distance from the ski resort. The 22-year-old victim, Conner Heidegger, and a friend had found a cliff feature. Heidegger attempted a jump off of the cliff on his snowboard and fatally injured himself, County Sheriff Chuck Curry reported. At the young age of 22, Heidegger was pronounced dead on scene due to blunt force trauma. The body was recovered in the afternoon of Dec. 30. According to his obituary, Conner loved spending time with friends and family, especially his nieces and nephews. He was a true Montanan who enjoyed all outdoor activities. Funeral services for Conner were held on Jan. 3 at the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church, a congregation where he had been a lifelong member. In an unrelated incident, a 28-year-old from Alberta died in a tree-well while snowboarding at Big Mountain, also known as Whitefish Mountain Resort. He was last seen in Hellroaring Basin within the resort boundaries, when he became separated from friends. They later reported him missing after he failed to meet his friends at the bottom of the run. Crews initiated a search, with Whitefish Mountain Resort Ski Patrol, Flathead Search and Rescue and Two Bear helicopter participating in the search. The body was located at about 2 a.m. Sunday morning, and was identified as Canadian Scott Robert Hornstra. He was found upside down in a tree well and was pronounced dead on scene. Hornstra's friends reported him missing when he did not meet them at the bottom of a run, Curry said. Whitefish Mountain Resort released a statement on New Year’s Eve,“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Any death at our resort is an event that impacts the entire Whitefish Mountain Resort community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends as they cope during this difficult time.” The popular resort also warned their guests that tree wells were an “inherent risk of the sport,” encouraging skiers to be caustious and ski with a partner in sight. They suggested “skiing with a buddy” despite the fact that both victims were present with friends.With the most recent death, there have been a total of six fatalities in tree wells at the resort since 1978. “We just encourage people to ski inbounds and be safe,” Curry said.

Women’s march takes Depot Park

ANNA HEDINGER

of The Flathead Arrow

Kalispell men, women, and children gathered in a sea of pink hats on Saturday, Jan 20 at Depot Park to rally for women’s rights. The event unfolded on the same day as nationwide protests, on the eve of the anniversary of President Trump’s inauguration. Instead of joining the some 10,000 marchers in Helena, local Montanans decided to bring protests to home turf. According to CBS, “Many not only supported women's rights, but also denounced Mr. Trump's views on issues including immigration, abortion and LGBT rights.” A

round three million people participated in marches nationwide, and included international support. Kedryn McElderry, a senior at Glacier High School, was among the speakers. Leader of Glacier’s Gay Straight Alliance, (GSA) McElderry took to the podiu

m in part to advocate for marginalized women and LGBTQ+ members, and to protest the Trump Administration’s response to these issues. The Me Too movement added to the turn-out. The movement addresses the treatment of women in the workplace. Janet Brown, a speaker at the event said, “we have clearly seen the rumbles of misogyny and racism and intolerance throughout the whole election process. And we saw shadows of fascism, theocracy, corruption, cronyism, and we heard people spouting authoritarian slogans. I was appalled.” Protesters of all ages and genders gathered in high spirits, with many sporting signs and coffee thermoses. Brown continued her speech, followed by a roar of approval from the crowd. “We have watched rooms full of smiling white men chock women’s reproductive health services literally around the world.” It reflected sentiments plastered on many protesters’ signs.

Girls hoops wins first lip-sync battle

JADE WARE

of The Flathead ArrowThe Flathead High School girls basketball team won the inaugural FHS Lip Sync Battle on Monday evening, Jan. 8, in the Black Box Theatre.

The victory awarded them the $40 grand prize, which they spent on orange juice at breakfast at Perkins in Helena before a game on Jan. 13.“Th

e juice we had made the wi

n that much sweeter,” junior Kaysie Malmin said.The 14-girl group lip synched to “Single Ladies” by Beyonce with choreographic dance moves from the music video. “Our performance was pretty good for only practicing it for a whole 20 minutes,” Malmin said. FHS students entered the competition as an individual, group, team, club, or sport. There were two cash prizes, one was presented to the individual or group with the best choreography, receiving $35. The overall winner received $40.

Senior Annie Jones won Best in Show, Sophomore Emme Schow won Best Choreography, Senior Adam Tepas won Most Humorous Song, and Sophomore Chase Amirata won Best Audience participation.Anticipation filled the halls once FHS students found out about the Lip Sync Battle. Sophomore Jade Dickerson was more than ecstatic when she found out the theatre was organizing a Lip Sync Battle, and she entered the competition with her sister, Ava, a freshman. “I almost fell out of my seat when I found out there was a lip sync battle,” Dickerson said. “My favorite part was just being able to watch everybody else perform, and seeing what they all came up with for their performance.” Junior Issac Glace, another competitor, especially appreciated the performances during the Lip Sync Battle. “My favorite part about the Lip Sync Battle was just to see people you weren’t expecting to perform, get up on stage and expose themselves in an artistic way,” Glace said. “That was the coolest part, seeing people’s colors come out.” The competition was very heated, but FHS students still enjoyed performing, even if they didn’t win the cash prize.“I did want to win pretty bad, but I learned how to line dance because of this so I already gained something,” Glace said. Junior Bryn Hammer, another competitor, only competed for fun. “I just did it for the fun of it,” Hammer said. The theatre’s first Lip Sync Battle was such a success, the theater department ended up raising $415. It left a lasting impression on all FHS students, hoping that the theatre organizes the event again next year. “I definitely hope the theatre does another Lip Sync Battle next year because it was really fun,” Hammer said.

Formal Packs Commons

ALBERT TEDRICK

of The Flathead Arrow

Students dance away the semester finals frustration and anxiety at the winter formal dance in the Flathead commons on Jan 19.Though there wasn’t as large of a turn out like the homecoming dance the line

to get in still wrapped around the school like the hottest club in town. After waiting in line for what seemed forever students hit the dance floor right away.“Hell yeah I was excited to dance, after

finals it was nice to chill and do girly things” said sophomore Katie Foster It was an eventful dance for sure when the fire alarm went off.“When the alarm went off I just kind of stood there, I was really confused” said senior Jacob Narin. What had set the alarm off was the smoke machine that had been used to set the mood. Many students immediately began to make their way to the door when the alarm went off but came back when the DJ announced what had happened. After the small interruption it didn’t take long for everyone to get back dancing and having fun.

Tide pods affect Flathead students

JEREMY LAPORTA

of The Flathead Arrow

Teenagers around the U.S have recently started to eat tide pods for a challenge. This challenge started from kids daring each other to put this soap in their mouth. According to the Washington post these pods contain chemicals that can cause vomiting, change in blood pressure, losing conscious, and or having seizures. The Tide pods should only be used for cleaning clothes not for eating. “I just wanted to know what it tasted like.” Said Flathead high school sophomore Zach Cheney,“ It was nasty so I spit it out because it started to burn my mouth. I wasn’t thinking I don’t recommend anybody to eat the tide pods.

According to www.snopes.com Tide will be discontinuing their pods effective February first this year because they don’t want to risk any lives. Although it is not clear if anyone has died yet this year from consuming them. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers 86 people have called poison control this year and also during the first week of 2018 poison control centers handled 39 cases of teens intentionally exposed to the pods.To report exposure to laundry detergent pods, call the national
poison hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or text POISON to 797979 to save the number on
your phone.

Step 1 of demo starts Feb. 12

RYAN VOSEN Of the Flathead Arrow

There are will not be another class taught in Flathead High School’s historic half-floors. As of Jan 19 the half-floors teachers have been moved to various classrooms throughout the school. Access to the half-floors will end on Feb 12 due to the asbestos abatement that is necessary for safety concerns. The issues created by demolition have begun to affect teachers and students alike. The ten teachers who had classrooms in the half-floors will be moved to various classrooms throughout the school. A total of 22 classrooms are now being shared among multiple teachers.

For some teachers it has been a harder move than others. This includes long time Flathead history teacher Mrs. Delle.“It’s a lot to move out and a lot of traditions and history,” said Delle. She continued to say, “It’s going to be sad to leave because there are a lot of fun memories in here.”

She recounted some her favorite memories of the only classroom in Flathead with a stage. The room has collected various items including a surfboard and former Flathead teacher Mr. Ford’s shopping cart.

Until recently there was a giant spit wad that hung from the ceiling and ripped off the part of the ceiling tiles when it finally came down. The old wiring would also occasionally cause the outlets to “blow fire.”

Besides the sentimental attachment to the building, teachers along with students are finding it difficult to share classrooms. Everyone is still trying to make the best out of the situation.

Flathead History teacher Mr. Reilly said, “ It has been planned very well by the administration. I am actually sharing four different

classrooms. The teachers really have been wonderful to me.”Reilly was referring to the teachers who he now shares a classroom with in rooms 139, 143, 144, and 147. “I liked his (Mr. Reilly’s) room a lot” said senior in IB History Conrad Hedinger. He continued saying, “its cool that the language classes are accommodating to us” On Jan 22 the bid for asbestos abatement was sent out. It is planned to begin in February and will completely close off the half-floors and the old gym. The abatement is necessary for the health concerns that arise in the demolition of old buildings.

Construction looms over half-floors

RYAN VOSENof the Flathead Arrow

Flathead teachers in the half-floors met with administrator Mr. Lincoln on Dec 13 to discuss the upcoming demolition of the half floors. It discussed the logistics of teachers being moved to different rooms around Flathead.

Sharing classrooms will be necessary for all half-floor teachers, and it could possibly lead to issues as the year progresses. Although, the general response from teachers has as been very positive. One teacher heavily affected is History teacher Mr. Riley; he will be sharing 4 four different classrooms during the process. To cope with this issue Riley built a customized cart to bring to the different classrooms and be almost entirely self-sufficient. He has been preparing all year emptying out his classroom of the interesting assortment of pictures and knick-knacks hanging on the walls.

Despite this he is happy for future of school saying, “Its part of progress and going to be better for the students.” Another impacted English teacher Mrs. Kreiss will be sharing two classrooms when the demolition begins. She explained everyone is going to have to make short term sacrifices for the long benefits.

“Sharing classrooms is going to be very challenging, but our staff has a positive and collaborative attitude,” said Kreiss. The meeting gave timeline for when the teachers will need to begin moving. Packing was supposed to begin on Dec 1. Teachers will need to start packing boxes that will be put in storage and moved into their ne classrooms. A sale of surplus items from the classrooms is also expected. This will all need to be completed Jan 19. Rooms 131 and 12 7 that are currently sit empty will also be prepared for classroom use starting on the Dec 18 and going to Jan 2. This includes installing whiteboards, ceiling mounted projectors and smart boards. A new teachers lounge will also be prepared for use during demolition. The project scheduled to go out to bid on Jan 19 of next year. It has been estimated to cost $10,402,772. The other roughly 9 million dollars in their budget is intended to be used for deferred maintenance throughout the school.

Construction Class building house

ALBERT TEDRICKof The Flathead Arrow

Flathead students construct a house at 115 Corporate Court to learn valuable construction skills during the 2017-18 school year. By the end of this school year the finished project will be a 3-bedroom 2-½ bath with 2470 square feet. So far the Students have gone through an OSHA 10 class broke ground and poured foundation, raised walls, put on the roof, wired the house, installed pluming, put in insulation, and dry walled. “They say after completing this class we can get hired almost immediately for $17 an hour plus” senior Henry Sullivan. This class provides a lot of opportunities for its students. They will graduate with an OSHA 10 card, 360 hours of apprenticeship, and be ready to join the work force right out of high school. There will be an open house and auction in June to sell the house to a lucky buyer.

Aim Higher reaches out to elderly

CLARA VANDENBOSCH

of The Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School is spreading the spirit. FHS’s Aim Higher Club is reaching out to the nursing homes around the valley by creating Christmas cards from scratch to wish them a Merry Christmas and also making public service announcements for sporting events to show sportsmanship for and against Flathead activities. “It was a good thought,” said senior Eric Reyna. “Most of those senior citizens are forgotten about when it comes to the holidays and it puts a good impression on the Aim Higher Club and Flathead High School in general.” Aim Higher advisers Mrs. Tricia Dean and Mrs. Caitlin Heuscher help lead the club into showing leadership to the community by discussing what sportsmanship is and also how students need to represent their school and community better. “I think it's good that we are taking steps to insure that sportsmanship is a top priority for students at Flathead,” said senior Kenyon Fretwell. “Aim Higher takes a lot of pride with working in the school to make a positive change.” In Aim Higher, there are three “umbrella” terms that make up the club itself: mentorship, community service, and sportsmanship. Aim Higher club students made a public service announcement to show the sportsmanship within the school to show how important it is to show sportsmanlike conduct at events. “It is basically a organization club from Montana High School Association (MHSA),” said Heuscher. “We take our athletes or students to help them learn and discover principles in those three umbrella terms so they can take it to their teams or groups and teach those principles to better their program and Flathead High School as a whole.” The student club leaders decided to make Christmas cards for the nursing homes around the valley to show that they are not forgotten about. The club meetings were held on Tuesday, Dec. 12, in the Flathead Conference room to discuss the purpose of the cards. Heuscher and Dean thought it was something that was important, and it would fall under one of the umbrellas. “During the holiday season it is something that tends to be forgotten,” said Heuscher. “It falls under our community service umbrella and it is a way of paying back to those who have helped our community in the past.”

Foundation of Leadership spreads Christmas cheer

CHAD HEMSLEY Of The Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School’s Foundations of Leadership class, which is taught by Mr. Kyle Samson, decided to spread some Christmas cheer by setting up a 16-foot Christmas tree in the Commons on Thursday, Dec. 7.

"The tree represents Flathead as a family," said junior Kayla Kallis, who is in the class. "It's our big family Christmas tree." Classmate Annie Burtsfield said the class wanted to have everyone take notice. "The goal was for a student to walk through the doors, take a good look at it and say, 'That’s a big tree,' and I think we accomplished that," Burtsfield said. Mr. Samson’s class started to plan this project during the first week of December in class. The process first started with getting permission from FHS Principal Mrs. Michelle Paine to make sure that it was OK to put a tree in the commons. The class started looking for where they could find a tree to cut down and was able to get permission from a Kalispell resident to cut onefrom their backyard.

"Getting the tree was a really cool experience for me," senior Clay Treece said. "It was fun to go as a class and take that tree back to the school to spread the Christmas spirit. It really ties the school Commons together, and I’ve heard everyone really likes it." Mr. Samson’s class was able to set up their tree, but was uncertain of how to decorate the tree. Ideas on how to decorate the tree ranged from having the class bring in their own ornaments to having FHS students make ornaments to put on the tree. With limited time, the class was able to find ornaments that the school had in storage and was able to decorate the tree during their class period. "I believe the tree gives Flathead an even better sense of family, especially during the Christmas season," junior Amber Reiner said. "Plus it was a blast to put it up." The overall feeling that the tree gives is immediate. "The tree allows everyone to feel the Christmas spirit," senior Kaitlin Wride said. "We can all look at it and think, 'Wow, that’s a big tree'."

Students audition for Cinderella

JADE WARE

of The Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School’s theatre program is starting to open the curtains to its new spring musical, Cinderella. The actual performances will be Feb. 22-24, but the excitement is already in the air. Many FHS students filled the choir room on Dec. 6 and 7 to audition for parts of the play. Kacie Bray, an FHS graduate of 2007, will be directing the musical. The play is very different compared to Disney’s Cinderella version. In this version, from the 2013 Broadway show, Cinderellais known more as Ella. Senior Annie Jones won the part. Madame, her stepmother who will be played by Emma Schow, and her stepsisters only call her Cinderella because she sits by the fireplace and gets dirty from the cinders.

The prince, who will be played by senior Alex Coulter, is also very different compared to Disney’s version. In this musical, the prince’s name is Topher, and both of his parents have just died. He must learn how to run the kingdom on his own. Though he is advised by Lord Chancellor Sebastian, who is played by Aspenn Kennedy, prince Topher is unsure of his leading abilities. What also makes this version of Cinderella so different is that the prince falls in love with Ella’s honesty and intellect rather than her beauty. Madame and the stepsisters are also very contrasting characters compared to Disney’s version. In Disney’s version the two stepsisters names are Anastasia Tremaine and Drizella Tremaine. The parts will be played by Grace Burtsfield and Anna Henderson. In this musical, their names are Gabrielle and Charlotte. One of the two stepsisters actually ends up being nice to Ella towards the end of the musical. There is also mischief when it comes to Lord Chancellor Sebastian. As the play progresses, Ella helps open the prince’s eyes to this mischief and injustice in his kingdom. “My favorite part about the auditions were the people who come in and they were super excited,” said FHS theatre teacher Ms. Elizabeth Sykora. “I always like the people who are off the radar, the people who come in and you’ve never seen them before. They may be a little nervous, but they are putting themselves out there and they are trying out for something that they have never done before.”

in front of people, especially if they’re judging if you’re right for a role. I wanted the part of Ella so badly, I had a lot riding on my shoulders.” FHS students prepared for their auditions in more ways than one, making sure they were prepared for their auditions. “We did this new crash course, which is a class that you can take to prep for the auditions for students, so I did a lot of that,” Sykora said. “It went really well we had over 100 kids come to the crash course, and just practice audition for the musical. And it was designed to boost confidence in those people who had never auditioned before.” Junior Tobias Diegel practiced many times, and with people, before the audition. “I ran through the songs a few times and practiced an audition scene with freshman Sayler Griffith, who I auditioned with,” Diegel said. The cast for Cinderella is much larger compared to the production of Clue, the FHS production last spring. “Clue had eight people in it and we wanted to try and involve as many people as we could, so we picked a very large musical,” Sykora said. “Our cast is 29 people and our crew is 20 people, so that’s almost 50 people that are involved in the show.”

The Cinderella musical obviously grabbed many FHS students attention, and was one of the highlights of December. “I love everything about this musical,” Jones said. “The music’s fantastic, the characters are likable and funny. It’s different but still stays true to the original story.”

“Before finding out, I had to maintain the mindset of ‘hope for the best, expect the worst’, so I was really excited and proud of myself when I made it.” said senior Grace Burtsfield.All except two are first time acceptees and attenders, seniors Nikki Sauter and Anna Henderson attended their sophomore year. “I was really excited because I didn’t think I would have made it this year.” said senior Nikki Sauter. Each student auditioned in front of choir director Mrs. Jennifer Stephens individually and their recordings were sent into the American Choral Directors Association. These students were picked out of hundreds of students from 6 different states; Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho. This is a huge honor for the student

s accepted. The students received their music on Dec. 18 and will have to prepare the pieces themselves before they attend the honor choir in March. They prepare the pieces individually in order to expand their musical skills.

Holiday music at Flathead High School

BAILEY NUNN Of the Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School’s holiday production programs kicked off the holiday spirit from each section of music within the high school to show the community what Christmas music is all about. The Orchestra concert was held on Monday, Dec. 4. The band concert was held on Thursday, Dec. 7. And the choir concert was held on Tuesday, Dec. 12. All were held in the FHS Auditorium. Mrs. Sherry Simmons led the orchestra group for the first piece of the Holiday Production this month. It was a beautiful concert and they had a great turnout. “The concert was lively and fun,” said senior Spencer Brinton. “My favorite song was Stille Nacht.” Mr. David Johnke conducted the band during their winter concert. It was a beautiful concert. Everyone had fun and gave the impression of a happy Christmas season. The audience loved the concert and it was a great turnout. Mrs. Jennifer Stephens led the choir program in their Holiday Christmas concert. They had two concerts, one beginning at 4:30 p.m. and a later one at 7:30, because everyone loves to go and enjoy the beautiful voices during Christmas time. “My favorite song was Eatnemen Vuelie, the first song, and I feel like the second concert was better,” sophomore Arena Nunn said. “We all had a lot more fun. The audience turnout wasn’t as large as last year’s Christmas concert, but the house was pretty evenly filled during both concerts.” “My favorite song was Eatnemen Vuilie said sophomore Hanna Hanzel. “Both concerts went very smoothly and we all felt very confident. Also, both concerts had a full house.” The music programs have their next concerts during the music festival from February through March for all three programs.

Vasquez makes wrestling historyABE OTTOof The Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School sophomore Tilynee Vasquez is an international wrestling gold medalist. She started making history nearly a year ago when she became the first-ever girl to place in the Montana Class AA wrestling tournament. Vasquez competed in the 103–pound weight class and placed sixth at the state tournament last February.

Currently, there is no girls division in wrestling in Montana, so she competes against boys.

Vasquez did not stop there. She went on to become the first Montana girl to qualify for the USA World Wrestling Team. As a member of the national team, she competed in Argentina against some of the best in the world at the Pan-American Wrestling Tournament from July 7-9. Vasquez earned first place as she dominated all three of her opponents, with a pin, then 5-0, and then 6-1. Vasquez trained with the national team in Ohio for two weeks before the Pan-Am Games. “The training in Ohio helped so much,” she said. “I really improved a lot with the team and we constantly were going hard.” After earning gold, Vasquez continued to impress while earning a silver medal at the USA Wrestling National Tournament in Fargo, North Dakota, on July 18. In the final match, she tied her opponent 7-7. But she said she lost a point because her coach challenged a body throw criteria, and ended up with silver. “Fargo was definitely a little intimidating at first,” Vasquez said. “You walk out in a huge arena with fog all around you and you look to your left and right and there are two huge screens of your face. I still don’t blame losing the match because of the criteria. I still missed a lot of things and just wasn’t at my best during the match.” Flathead High School wrestling coach Jeff Thompson led the Braves to their seventh state championship last season. “She really is just extremely dedicated to the sport and is willing to put the time in,” Thompson said. “She is somebody who wrestles twelve months out of the year and that is what has put her on that next level. “She is also an outlier as well,” he continued. “In a sport that is predominately filled with males, she isn’t scared to stand out. Female wrestling is growing a lot in Montana, in part due to Tilynne.” FHS senior Payton Hume has known and wrestled with Vasquez since they were young. “Tilynne is like a sister to me and to the whole team and helps everybody feel more like a family,” Hume said. “One thing that stands out is how much she focuses on her technique. She doesn’t just focus on the move overall, she thinks about all the small little details, which helps so much. Another thing to is how she can be really fast when she wants to be. The thing that really separates her from some others, though, is how much she wants it.”

Reilly named Most Outstanding Player

KATIA POSTOVIT

of The Flathead Arrow

Former Flathead High School quarterback Mike
Reilly, of the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos, was awarded the
Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 season on Nov. 24. This is the second time
Reilly has received this award.

“I was very humbled for two reasons: first, that
Mike won, it’s a massive massive undertaking to win that,” said Mr. Pat Reilly,
Mike’s father and FHS history teacher. “I was also very humbled that he was
selected ove

r his opponent, he (Toronto’s Ricky Ray) is an amazing
quarterback.”Reilly ended the season with 5,830 passing yards
putting him at the top for the 2017 season for passing yards and number seven
on the all-time record of single season passing. He also lead the league with 12
rushing touchdowns. He also tallied 390 rushing yards, 30 passing touchdowns,
and 447 completions. Ray, the quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts, led his
team to victory in the Grey Cup on Nov. 26.The season for Mike Reilly and the Edmonton
Eskimos came to a close on Sunday, Nov. 19 against the Calgary Stampeders in
the Western Conference semifinal, 32-28. The Eskimos started the game 14-0 and
Reilly threw for 348 yards. The loss came down to the last play of the game.
When Calgary’s kicker Jason Maas kicked a field goal late in the game, putting
them up against the Eskimos. Edmonton would not get the ball back when Eskimos
Jamill Smith fumbled a punt in the last seconds of the game. “The coach made a decision, a strategy that just
didn’t work out,” Mr. Pat Reilly said. “If it would of worked out, it would of
been the best call in the world.”The Eskimos ended their season third in the
Western Division with a 12-6 record, due to losing in the semi finals to the
105th Grey Cup. The Eskimos started the season 7-1, and ended the season on a
six-game win streak prior to the semifinal loss. “It was a hard pill to swallow,” Mr. Pat Reilly
said. “Most sports writers and analysts believed at the end of the season,
Edmonton was the best team in the league. They just didn’t show it in that
game.” Reilly was and still is well remembered by the
legacy he left at FHS. Reilly set the record of 2,280 passing yards his senior
year at Flathead. Reilly came to Flathead as a senior from Kennewick,
Washington. Reilly also attended Central Washington as the starting quarterback
after redshirting at Washington State as 5th string quarterback. He became the
2008 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. With
completing 65.2% of his passes, 37 passing touchdowns, and rushing 103 times
for a total of 415 yards.

Flathead gears up for construction RYAN VOSEN Of the Flathead Arrow

The upcoming construction, scheduled to begin next Feb, stays persistently on the minds of the students and staff alike at Flathead High School.

The plans and renderings of the project have been completed by the engineering firm Morrison and Maierle and LPW Architecture. They are more in depth than they were previously. The expansion will take place in between where senoir hall and 5th Ave currently stand. It will include an auxiliary gym at the center with space for three practice volleyball courts and fold out bleachers tobe used for freshmen and sophomore basketball and volleyball. Around this 19 new classrooms will be added. New rooms such as locker rooms, a teacher’s lounge, boiler room, offices, and general storage will be added as well. A construction committee has been meeting monthly including several Flathead teachers such as Mr. Murray Graham, who provided most of this information, and the Flathead administrators. They will organize how the construction affects students and staff as it begins next year. One of the concerns the committee plans to deal with will include parking. A staging area will be needed for the construction. The only available space nearby being sophomore lot; it will most likely be used during the construction process. Classes currently in half- floors will also be displaced while the demolition and construction occur. Classrooms will be moved to various locations throughout the school before the project begins. Teachers and students in the half-floors currently will be forced to share classrooms with other teachers.

Hazardous smoke restricts student activities

ANNA HEDINGERof The Flathead Arrow

Coming back to school proved disheartening this year as smoke blanketed the valley.

The visibility was poor, at less than one cubic mile at its worst, and a thin layer of ash covered everything in sight in the heart of Kalispell. Some suffered from adverse health effects. Student activities were heavily impacted by wildfire smoke during the second week of September. The football team held two inside practices and one outdoor practice with little exercise and constant water breaks. A couple of players allegedly vomited from the smoke during practice, said junior wide receiver Ryan Vosen. Two freshmen football games were cancelled because of the conditions, which were considered “Very Unhealthy” by the Department of Public Health & Human Services. Soccer players were limited to the small gym, Trinity Lutheran Middle School, and running in the school hallways for conditioning. “We couldn’t touch a ball for a week and a half,” senior midfielder Clara Vandenbosch said. Two soccer games were cancelled due to smoke hazards on Sept. 7 and 9, but were later rescheduled. The games were to take place at Hellgate against Hellgate High School and at Flathead against Big Sky. The Invitational cross-country meet at Rebecca Farm was cancelled as well, affecting around 700 students. “I want our students to be safe,” Flathead activities director Bryce Wilson commented in an interview with NPR. “I would just hate for somebody to have impact because of the air quality." Many academic activities were also cancelled or rescheduled, like the choir retreat and the science field trip to Glacier Park. Locals can check hourly air quality updates offered by the DEQ’s Today’s Air website.

Fires rage across western Montana

ANNA HEDINGER of The Flathead Arrow

Major wildfires burned through thousands of acres of land throughout the season in western Montana following the hottest summer on record.

Governor Steve Bullock declared Montana in a state of disaster in late August, calling this “one of the worst fire seasons” in its history. This summer, thousands of firefighters and National Guard members risked their lives to battle the flames. Sadly, two have lost their lives due to falling trees amidst the action. Evacuations affected thousands and even more suffered from severe smoke that impacted many throughout the state. The Sprague fire destroyed the historic Sperry Chalet in late August, devastating Montanans. Built in 1913, the famous chalet was listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. The same fire burned more than 16,000 acres in Glacier National Park according to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. This was a small fire compared to the Lodgepole Complex fire that consumed over 270,000 acres starting in mid July. The most dangerous was the Rice Ridge fire that burned 160,000 acres, causing evacuations of Seeley Lake residents. In fact, Rice Ridge was the number one priority fire in the nation according to fire information officers in early Sept. Montana News reports nearly $300 million were spent fire fighting, prompting response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA approved disaster assistance for three major wildfires in the western portion of the state. The Billings Gazette reported more than 2,800 wildfires that burned through over 1.2 million acres this year alone. As many as 48 fires were burning in a single dayas of Sept 12. These devastating fires were due to a severe drought that persisted throughout the summer. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, June through August were the hottest and driest months on record for Montana. In July, over 10 percent of total land was listed as “in exceptional drought,” the largest percentage in the nation. In an interview with the New York Times, MSU professor Cathy Whitlock said, “as Montana faces warming temperatures, more fires are just a part of that story.” Montana climatologists like Kelsey Jencso are researching the drought’s connection to climate change, telling Montana Public Radio the smoke “is certainly what the future [of climate change] may look like.” Research in 2016 from Columbia University and the University of Idaho support that climate change has been worsening wildfires in the western United States for decades. “President Donald Trump’s proposed 2018 budget calls for a $300 million reduction to the U.S. Forest Service’s wildfire fighting programs, another $50 million in cuts to its wildfire prevention efforts and a 23 percent reduction in funding for volunteer fire departments,” said the Huffington Post in August. Lawmakers may need to reconsider in wake of the disaster.

Spirit Week takes over JADE WARE of The Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School students dressed up for school, sometimes outrageously, through five different daily themes for homecoming spirit week during the last week of September. The daily lineup for the week included Music Festival Monday, Twinning Tuesday, Wild Animal Wednesday, Thrifty Thursday and Color War Friday.

From flower crowns to full-out rock-and-roll makeup, students took Music Festival Monday to the next level. The following day was Twinning Tuesday, where some students dressed exactly the same. The halls were filled with twins, some as “Where’s Waldo” and others dressing as “basic white chicks.” Tigers, bears, cats, and more, took over the school as students got a little more wild with their wild animal costumes. Next was Thrifty Thursday, where students showed off their thrift store style. Ending spirit week was Color War Friday, each grade dressed in a specific color. Freshman wore gray, sophomores black, juniors orange, and seniors white as staff members wore Hawaiian shirts. “It was super fun and I loved getting a chance to dress up and be crazy,” junior Pearl Anderson said. Spirit week was clearly one of the top highlights of September and really gave students a chance to express their school spirit. “I think spirit week is really important because it shows how much spirit Flathead High School really has,” junior Kiera Early said. On Music Festival Monday, students dressed in many different styles. Some wore Coachella inspired clothes, which is a music festival in California, where people dress in hippie-like clothing. Others dressed in a Rock N’ Roll style, with big wigs and dark face makeup. “I loved how creative everyone got with their outfits. I especially loved all of the flower crowns that many of the girls wore,” junior Haylee Learn said. Then on Twinning Tuesday, some decided to twin as Where’s Waldo, white chicks, and insects. Others twinned as simple as just wearing the same color shirt. “I thought is was super funny when I saw so many people twinning because some of the students outfits were definitely out there,” junior Errin Glencross said. Next on Wild Animal Wednesday students came to school dressed as turtles, cows, pigs, cats, and so much more, showing their wild side for Wednesday. “I loved seeing all my friends dress up as animals because it was a good laugh. Personally my favorite day for spirit week,” junior Darika Dickerson said. On Thrifty Thursday people wore gigantic furry coats, non-matching socks, hats with different colors, and vests with stylish buttons. “I enjoyed the cool vintage clothes that some people wore,” junior Morgan Lawson-Sanderlin said. To wrap up spirit week students wore their designated color that went with their grade. The halls were filled with gray, black, orange, and white shirts, as students showed their true colors for spirit week. “It was just super cool to see students wearing all our school colors. It definitely showed major school spirit,” junior Angela Brimberry said.

School District 5 threats KATIA POSTOVIT of The Flathead Arrow

Flathead High School students got a real-life scare Thursday, Sept. 14, when the school district received an early-morning notice that school was cancelled because of anonymous threats. Students and staff were called and notified at 2 a.m. that school would not be in session Thursday. In all students missed 3 days of school. Senior Dakotah Fountain said "I was woken up by Judith (her mother) around 2 am telling me there was no school, I honestly thought it was because of the smoke, but my mom told me that the schools were being threatened. But I live in Lakeside so I wasn't in the middle of everything which made me feel almost more safe." The threats originated in the Columbia Falls school district the night before, on Wednesday, but then Kalispell School District Superintendent, Mark Flatau became aware that Kalispell Public School names started being included in the threats. The threats were considered prevalent enough for school to be cancelled until further notice. Superintendent Marc Flatau said he decided to close school "For the safety and best interest of our students and staff." The day before Spokane had a school shooting.It took a few days for authorities to figure out that the threat wasn't local. By Monday, authorities pinpointed the exact nature of the cause: Computer hackers. Senior Payge Boyce said, "I was very overwhelmed with homework the night before Thursday so I guess not having school was pretty nice, but the thought of not having school and almost being scared to go back was weird." Within this time off many different activities were cancelled, even if they were to travel out of the area affected by the threats. Soccer, Football, Volleyball, Cross- Country, and Golf all had games and or tournaments cancelled which turned into 9 total cancellations that weekend. This number does not involve practices or other activities that go along with these events such as band, cheerleading, etc. One of the biggest events affected was crosstown soccer was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Senior Boys Soccer Captain Gage Magone said,"We were ready for it all day and were super prepared, it was just disappointing to know it was cancelled." A group calling themselves the Dark Overlord sent ransom demands, which led authorities to realize that they had done it before. They previously did the same thing to Netflix, and U.S. health clinics. Releasing season 5 of orange is the new black and having hold of people’s confidential medical records. The group responsible for the threats is an out of country system that works to get money by threatening to release student and parent information. This group calls themselves the Dark Overlord. The Dark Overlord isn't new to the FBI and other federal agencies, they are known for their hacking and threatening to release information unless they receive a large sum of money in Bitcoin, which is a type of digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency and verify the transfer of funds, operating independently of a central bank.